President’s son acquitted in narcotics case

The son of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has been acquitted in a high-profile corruption case in which a prominent businessman was jailed. Khaled Tebboune had been in pre-trial detention since June 2018 in connection with the alleged seizure of cocaine at an Algerian port. An Algiers court acquitted him but sentenced the principal accused, Kamel Chikhi, to eight years in prison for ‘paying bribes in exchange for undue service’. Chikhi, known as ‘El Bouchi’ (The Butcher), made his fortune in meat imports before becoming involved in property. A report on the New Vision site notes that he was arrested in June 2018 after 700kg of cocaine was found hidden in imported meat. The investigation exposed a network of influence, with accusations that Chikhi bought favours from high-level officials, magistrates and others within the regime of former President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.